


you hid there last time, you know we’re gonna find you

by sweaterjunkiee



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Another byler fight scene haha, Gay Will Byers, Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, Lots of Angst, M/M, Oblivious Mike Wheeler, Sad Will Byers, Worried Mike Wheeler, borderline romantic undertones, but this time its my own twist after watching the scene, some fluff at the end, this time u don’t have to squint tho, wrote this instead of sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-23 23:36:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19711810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweaterjunkiee/pseuds/sweaterjunkiee
Summary: The Byler fight from season 3 again, but with a different, angsty aftermath. After the fight, Will runs off again but this time not in the direction of his house. Mike worries too much, and this time rightfully so.•“Okay, Okay, Okay.... good. Good, this is good..”Feeling a pang of sympathy for his friend, Lucas stayed quiet as Mike tried to reassure himself.“I need to find Will... I’m gonna make it up to him.”A another minute or so of silence, and Mike hopped on his bike.“We really need to hurry, come on!”





	you hid there last time, you know we’re gonna find you

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are again! Hopefully there’s not many typos because haha.. I didn’t edit it again. Hope you enjoy, I worked really hard on this! Took all night haha. Happy reading!

(Maybe if I just, go home. Then I could crawl into bed, pull the covers over my face and never come back out. This is humiliating. Why did I think this was a good idea?)  
(They’re too busy thinking about girls to even care about anybody else in the party! Not Dustin, not me—)

“It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”

Will’s thoughts seemed to completely vanish as Mike’s heat-of-the-moment words finally reached his ears in throbbing, powerful volume.  
He felt his heart flutter a few times out of shock, and his eyes soared up to meet Mike’s as well.  
He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he barely had time to process Mike’s realization of Will’s emotions before his friend’s expression shifted to immediate guilt of lashing out. 

Will felt his lips growing dry as all his words seemed to retract from the tip of his tongue- he didn’t know what to say, what to think, what to decide.  
His pupils shifting every few seconds to study Mike’s, he took a gentle step back as he quickly pulled his gaze towards his bike.  
He could feel the tension grow as his heart thundered in his ears- 

(You’re my best friend, I never blamed you... I’d never blame you for something I hate about myself.)

After another agonizing, horrifying moment of silence, Mike finally gathered at least something to say as he uttered out into the air filled with sounds of rain pattering the top of the garage, it was weak— but Will heard it perfectly.

“Wait, I didn’t—“  
“N—... No. You’re right.”

He could feel tears burning the bottom of his eyes as the audible choke of air Mike sucked back in made his heart jostle inside his rib cage.   
“What?”  
Mike’s voice was loud. Louder than it should’ve been- loud, like it was expected.

Will couldn’t tell if he was angry, disappointed, scared or confused. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was all 4.   
All he knew was that—

(I have to get out of here.)  
(Get out, run!)  
(RUN!)

Immediately spinning on his heel, Will picked his bike up which was discarded on the ground carelessly. Pushing it out into the pouring rain, the rushing noise of the storm outside blocked out Mike’s calls behind him as he hopped on, and pushed.  
He just had to leave.  
Somewhere, that’s definitely not here.

(He’s gonna call me names, he’s gonna tell the whole party and they’re gonna KICK me OUT!)  
(They’re going to make fun of me. They know I’ve never been normal, this just confirms it!)  
(I don’t even know. I don’t know.)  
(Mike assumes I’m- I’m-)

It was getting too blurry. The rain was hitting the pavement so aggressively it splashed back, the pattering against the metal of his bike and his now soaked shirt filling his ears— it was so much all at once, his brain was shifting gears faster than his body could take in and his shaking hands jerked forward and he found himself shivering.  
The waves rolling up his spine, it practically immobilized him as the sharp, cold breath stabbing his throat squeezed his eyes shut.

He was biking so fast out of anxiety, he just wanted to get as far from Mike as he could. Just go. Go, go! Faster!

(What will mom think? What will Jonathan think? I’m not ready, I don’t know, I just wanna go home! I can’t be here, I can’t see—)

The ground underneath him became uneven and dangerously bumpy— he hit the grass. The sound of the grass coming in contact with the rubber wheels made a goosebump-inducing feeling to roam his skin, arms— the noise was squeaky due to the wet ground, and it was not helping his sensory overload.

Wait, grass-

Next thing he knew, the loud thuds as he zipped by green and grey colors became bigger rocks as he lost control of where he was going. He felt as if his heart could burst straight out of his chest at that very moment, and that’s when he fell forward.

His elbows went first as he dug them into the soaked ground, mud smearing up his arms. He could only see black dots piercing his vision as he went tumbling forward- hitting rocks and sticks as they scratched up his exposed skin. He found it hard to breathe— he needed to breathe.

He was trying to pinpoint everything all at once— but so much had just happened, all he could think was that   
It HURT.  
It all hurt, so badly.

Using the rest of his strength to push himself onto his back, his spine ached heavily as all his weight was pressed into it. Another body wrangling shiver later, he pressed his free muddy hand into his opposite elbow.  
(It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.)

(It hurts.)  
His lip quivering heavily, he bit it back. He struggled hard to keep his eyes closed, but they stung so bad. The rain hitting his eyelids, he pressed a few distressed breaths out his nose before weakness took over his skeleton, and as much as he didn’t want to cry- Mike never CRIED- he let out a few shaky whines.

Mike never liked BOYS. Mike never wanted Will, not even as a friend.  
(I’m just a freak.)  
(Nothing I do is ever normal.)

Mike doesn’t want a FREAK for a friend.

(It’s over. It’s all over. I’m gonna die out here, I’m gonna be alone and stupid and it’s all STUPID! I’ll shrivel up and I’ll be gone, out of Mike’s problems, the party doesn’t CARE and I won’t be a burden to mom. I ruin everything, I RUIN EVERYTHING!)

Will’s palms were shaking so hard he swore he was going to break his wrists. The surge of panicked energy he gained he used to shove his body into a half sitting up position, despite the sore protests his joints gave.  
His eyes widening softly as he forced his hand to stop convulsing, he felt his wrist, prodding as harshly as he could into the bone until it hurt as bad as the rest of his body did.

Mike’s watch was gone.

The same watch that Mike gave him as a key to their friendship; the only proof he had left that he was still real to Mike. Still had meaning and purpose to a boy that spoke words thoughtlessly.

Words that cut daggers deep into his heart. Will felt his chest grow foggy again, his lungs slowing down as it got so hard to even process a breath. His tongue felt cracked and dry. 

Mike’s watch was gone.  
Will’s prized possession wasn’t there.

“No— No, no, no— NO! COME BACK, COME B... BACK! Please, PLEASE! WHERE ARE YOU?”  
“I .... I ha.. had y... you...”  
“You’re g-gone. You’re GONE and it’s my stupid fa-fault... fault.”

Will’s body seemed to give up keeping himself upward, and he leaned in on himself as he put both hands on his shoulders, gripping them as hard as he could.   
Too tight.  
Too cold.  
Too lonely.  
Too petrified.

•

Lucas, after 10 long minutes of pacing, finally fell down in defeat on the Wheeler’s sofa with his hands aggressively gripping his head out of frustration of the situation.  
It definitely wasn’t ideal for either Mike nor Lucas- but he didn’t want to interrupt whatever the two were doing, but he was also extremely worried about it. It had been too long that they were out there.

He was considering checking just outside the door for a brief moment before he heard the familiar sound of the doorknob being handled— but this time, much more aggressively and fast. Lucas had a breath of relief caught in his throat, but it didn’t find it’s way out as Mike entered- alone, overwhelmed, and clearly anxious out of his mind.

Before he could even get a word out, Mike was grabbing his jacket.  
“Lucas, we NEED to find Will. Come on.”  
“Wait, what hap—“  
“NOW!”  
“Okay, Okay! Fine!” Though he was still extremely confused and baffled at how concerned Mike sounded, Lucas obeyed and grabbed his rain jacket and bag. 

He was awfully curious why Mike looked like he was about to cry, but he didn’t question the glassy tint in his friend’s eye.  
Maybe it was just the lights in the basement.

Yeah.  
Just the basement.

“We need to hurry— he went the opposite direction of his house, and it’s pouring outside- he could be hu-hurt, or worse—“ Mike was picking up his bike at this point as he was pulling on his sleeve to his jacket, trying to multitask so he could get there faster.  
“But, Mike— Will knows what he’s doing, maybe he just wants to be alone, what even happened between you guys?” Lucas felt his forehead grow slick with sweat as Mike looked back at him with such a.. defeated, sorrow filled expression.

“Do you really think Will’s fine, Lucas? This is my fault. All of this is my fault. If he gets hurt out there, or even worse, kidnapped again? I’d never forgive myself. Will is my best friend, and I... I said somethi-thing and it h-hurt him and no-now he’s upset a-and I—“  
Letting out a breath, Mike’s eyes went back up to Lucas. Once they met, he could easily tell, though Mike’s eyes were very dark, that he was on the verge of tears.

“For t-the first time, in so long, I really felt like Will w-was back. My be-best friend was back.”  
“I-I... ruined that.”

A breath.  
“So please, for the love of GOD, Lucas, let me go find him. Help me find him.”

“Please. Please...”

Unsure of what to say, Lucas was genuinely surprised at that little speech. For a moment, he struggled to act out a response, or at least acknowledgement, so a simple nod was all he could convey to express his shock at what just happened.  
“Okay, Okay, Okay.... good. Good, this is good..”   
Feeling a pang of sympathy for his friend, Lucas stayed quiet as Mike tried to reassure himself.  
“I need to find Will... I’m gonna make it up to him.”

A another minute or so of silence, and Mike hopped on his bike.  
“We really need to hurry, come on!”

•

Keeping his eyes as wide as he could to stay alert for any sign of Will, Mike felt his heart race silently inside of him.   
He felt anxiety get the best of him, but battling it with brighter thoughts seemed to be his best bet.  
(We’re going to find Will. I don’t care how long it takes, as long as he comes home safe It’ll all be okay. He shouldn’t have gone far, he’s here—)

“Mike! Mike, slow down!”

He heard Lucas from behind, and he flinched visibly. He knew he was getting way too ahead of himself. Exhaling shakily, he tried to lift a hand to rub his eye free from blurring tears that was blocking his range of vision, and that’s when he spotted the large black spot up ahead on the road, laying there carelessly. 

“What is that?”  
Putting his hand back down, Mike skidded to a rough stop next to the object. Dropping his bike as he got off, he kneeled down and examined it. He stayed cautious until he could identify what it was, and that’s when he knew.

It was his watch.  
“Mike? What’s—“  
“Oh.”

“Yeah... oh. Will’s nearby. I have a feeling... I gave him this watch.” Mike’s voice was pulled to a soft whisper, to avoid any voice cracks.  
“Maybe he’s down this hill, or something. It looks like something pressed the grass down here.”   
Lucas’ observant studying lead the two down the steep hill, trying their best not to slip and fall. Luckily for them it didn’t take long, so they began their search for their friend as soon as Mike slipped the shattered watch into his pocket.

“Will! Will, please— where are you?”  
“We’re here to help, Will! Come on, it’s gonna be okay!”

Mike had a sinking feeling he wouldn’t listen. The guilt was eating at him inside, he had a strong tension in his heart that knew if he didn’t solve this, he’d feel a lot worse very much sooner.  
And that’s when his eyes caught sight of a large shadow.  
Will’s bike.

It was discarded next to a rock, propped up next to it. It looks slightly bent at a few angles, and when Mike saw it he dashed for it. Upon reaching the site, he pushed it aside as it hit the ground with an abrupt clang noise.  
He noticed a lot of the grass was pressed down; and a few light streaks of blood were staining the rock. It made Mike’s heart strain and pound, and he had to lean forward just to get out a few words.

Lucas approached cautiously yet fast, as he knew Will was nearby and Mike wanted to help. He felt quite awful about the situation as well.

“W-Will... Will?”  
“Wait— Y-“  
“WILL!”  
Before Lucas could get a word out, Mike was dashing across the tree line to the next cluster of rocks quite nearby. He noticed a red sneaker poking out from behind the large stack. 

Will.

“Lucas! Come help, HELP!”

•

Silence.

Unconsciousness was not very pleasant, especially for a boy like Will Byers. You never know where you could wake up- after being in a different dimension, and possessed by a shadow demon, anything could happen.

You usually have to assume the worst.  
And, Mike was gone, too.  
He was truly alone, wasn’t he?

•

“Yes, Ms. Byers, Will’s okay. He’s just not feeling too good right now, so he decided to stay the night instead of bike home...”  
“Yeah, I’ll take good care of him.”  
“I promise.”

The bright light of day seemed to be pooling into the basement of the Wheeler household, colouring the dusty tables a nice honey brown. It was a pleasant color to awaken to— at least, in Mike’s opinion.  
He made sure everything was cleaned up so it didn’t look too dirty for when Will came-to, he wanted to come back to reality in a nice, safe environment.  
He knew what Will’s habits were like at this point, but he wasn’t complaining.  
He loved his best friend.

Gently putting the phone back on the stand, his eyes drifted back over to Will. He was curled up tightly on the sofa, nothing but his nose, eyes and hair poking out. He looked calm, or at least somewhat at peace.  
He always recalled, whenever the party would stay over for the night, Will always saying he liked the way the house smelled in the morning. It was nice for him, so Mike made sure to leave the upstairs door open a bit.

Will’s fluffy brown hair was rather messy, still damp from last night but it was.. cute. He usually had it neater, pressed down- he wouldn’t mind if Will wore it untamed sometimes.  
Mike slowly paced around the table and back towards his friend, taking his place back on the couch with him again.

Just as Mike was placing himself back there, Will’s consciousness slowly began to slip back. He felt two warm hands pressing against his head as he shifted slowly to adjust to the air around him, and that’s when he felt his whole body be gently forced upward into a slouched position.   
He pressed directly into the chest of somebody, he wasn’t sure who, though.

He would assume his mom, as she usually did that after one of his nightmares, but... this was a different version of comforting to him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, though.

“Will? Oh, Will...! You’re waking up, that’s good... I was worried you’d be passed out for a few more hours.”

“Mmnmph...”  
(Who is that? His voice is soft, reminds me of Mike..)  
(That is Mike.)  
Popping open an eye lazily, Will leaned his head back to examine the mystery person’s facial features.  
“MM...Mike..?”  
Confusion slipping onto his face, he leaned back once again and bit his lip. “Wha’s... goin’ on..?”   
His voice was tired, spoke in murmurs. You could tell his voice was croaky and hoarse from last night.

“You had... a rough night last night, so I brought you back to my place and fixed you up.”  
“And you don’t have to stay for much longer, I... I know you’re angry at me. Upset, probably. I shouldn’t have reacted like that... I should’ve went after you immediately and you wouldn’t have scraped your legs up or hurt your elbows... I should’ve treated you like my best friend because GOD you’re everything to me and I wouldn’t—“

He immediately went quiet as Will’s soft brown eyes looked up at him in a certain way... it made his heart thunder for a brief moment.

“Mike.. it’s okay. Seriously. I.. I understand why you reacted ... t-the way you did. I’m not really your definition of... heh. Normal, I guess.”   
Going quiet, Will’s head dipped down again. Mike could tell Will was silently worrying.

Mike took Will’s hand softly and that’s what startled the young boy.   
“Will.”  
“Will, look at me.”  
“Please.”

Slowly lifting his head again, Will’s expression grew slightly confused yet panicked as he studied Mike’s own.   
“You’re allowed to be yourself. You’re allowed to show who you really are, okay? That’s your normal.”  
“And I love you for your normal.”

Will didn’t say a word as Mike pressed Will’s hand against his friend’s chest, and pulled him closer. He hesitated as he hovered his head over the crook of his neck, but slowly eased his way into a comfortable position. He noticed, on his own wrist, the watch he had lost last night. He also happened to spot the little band aid over the cracked screen— he felt a small giggle wrack his body, and this time he didn’t even seem to mind the dull ache in his chest.  
He was just happy Mike knew how much the watch meant to him.

“And, uh, Will?”  
“Yeah, Mike..?”  
“I think you’re a pretty damn good best friend.”

[We’ll go crazy together, right?]  
[Yeah. Crazy together.]

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment! They’re always appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read !!


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